THE SNOW-BUNTING. 143 



above primary-coverts and with distal quarter of inner feathers 

 black ; secondaries with largish black marks on distal portion of 

 outer webs ; primary-coverts black narrowly fringed white ; 

 greater coverts brown-black fi-inged buff and tipped white ; median 

 and lesser coverts brown-black tipped white, Summer. — Same 

 moult as in male but new feathers of ear-coverts more ta\Aaiy than 

 in male. Abrasion of tips of feathers makes upper-parts greyish- 

 black but with buff or whitish remams of tips especially on crown ; 

 nape rather whiter speckled and streaked black. 



Nestling. — ^Down, dark grey, fairly long ; distribution, inner 

 supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar, femoral, and crural. 

 Mouth, externally gape yellow ; beak yellow (C. B. Ticehurst, 

 Brit. B., II, p. 193). 



Juvenile (Plate 6). — Crown, nape, back of neck, ear-coverts, 

 sides of head, and rump dusky or buffish-grey very faintly streaked 

 black ; mantle more buff and considerably more broadly streaked 

 black ; chin and centre of throat dusky grey ; upper breast and 

 flanks more buff ; centre of breast and belly whitish-buff ; wing- 

 feathers and primary- and greater coverts as first winter ; median 

 coverts greyish -black tipped white ; lesser coverts greyish-black 

 fringed greyish-white. Female has more black on secondaries 

 and outer tail-feathers than male. 



First winter. Male. — ^IMuch like adujt male but often (not 

 always) of darker tawny colour on upper-parts ; feathers of nape 

 and back with small black spots ; those of rump always with 

 black centres ; primary-coverts eitlier enthely black or with bases 

 white freckled dusky ; primaries with less white at bases, 9th 

 and 10th primaries with distal half black ; secondaries with outer 

 webs marked brownish-black ; greater coverts brownish-black 

 tipped white, but sometimes the central feathers dusky-white 

 only flecked black ; median coverts white ; lesser coverts black 

 with buffish-white tips or white flecked black (amount of black 

 in wing-feathers and Aving-coverts varies individually). The 

 juvenile body-plumage, lesser and median wing-coverts are 

 moulted in Aug.-Sept., but not tail- and wing-feathers and rest of 

 wing-coverts. Summer. — Same moult as adult and abrasion has 

 same effect but back of neck always has flecks of black ; rump 

 usually black (very occasionally white with few black marks). 



First winter. Female. — Much like adult female and difficult 

 to differentiate with certainty, but has more black on secondaries, 

 most of outer webs and distal portion of inner webs being black ; 

 nape darker with less white ; greater coverts with shorter white 

 tips ; pectoral band often with black flecks. 



Measurem,ents and structure. — -^ wing 105-112 mm., tafl. 65-70, 

 tarsus 21-23, bill from skull 11-12 (12 measmed). $ wing 100-107. 

 Primaries : 1st minute and hidden, 2nd and 3rd equal and longest, 

 4th 2-5 mm. shorter, 5th 12-15 shorter ; 3rd and 4th emarginated 

 outer webs. Secondaries between 8th and 10th primaries. Tail 



